A giant snapping turtle is being hunted in Germany after it began to terrorize locals and attacked a young swimmer.
The alligator turtle is a native of North America and was likely abandoned by its owner when turtles were banned from Germany in 1999.
A young swimmer in Bavaria, Germany was bitten in his Achilles tendon last week while swimming in a local lake. After examining the bites, zoologists determined that they were caused by an alligator snapping turtle they nicknamed Lotti.
In an attempt to find the dangerous turtle, locals drained the lake to no avail. The turtle is believe to be around 16-inches-long and weigh 30-pounds. More than 500 fish were transferred to a nearby pond after the lake was drained. The lake is approximately the size of a European football pitch.
The mayor of Bavaria has offered a 1000-euro reward ($1329).
Helping in the hunt are local citizens and firefighters who wade through piles of mud in the hopes of finding the non-native reptile.
While locals have jumped in to help locate the rogue snapping turtle, officials have warned that inexperienced searchers could be attacked by the North American turtle.
In an attempt to find the alligator snapping turtle, volunteers are beating mud with brooms that are typically used to put out small woodland fires.
Officials in the area have called the snapping turtle incident a “disaster” since it has occurred at the height of tourist season.
